


Mountain of What Might've Been

by Beastrage



Series: tell me verse [3]
Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blood, Child Death, Discussion of possibly eating people?, Essays, Gen, One Shot Collection, Worldbuilding, these are Dream Eaters and Heartless we're talking about after all
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2021-01-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:08:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25094374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beastrage/pseuds/Beastrage
Summary: One Shot collection of Tell Me verse events that happen outside the main story
Series: tell me verse [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1766746
Comments: 12
Kudos: 44





	1. Psychopomp

**Author's Note:**

> Psychopomp: a guide of souls to the place of the dead

All worlds are different, many of them going in very different directions and on the way to various paths so utterly unique. 

Yet, at this one moment in time, each world shares this same sky. 

This dark blue night sky, full of lights like stars.

Under them, stands a woman robed in pink. Wearing a mask shaped like a fox’s head, staring up at that one sky. 

Lights which are not stars are all. This, Ava knows only too well. She swallows, lowering her gaze. Unable to bear staring up at the very visible signs of her and other Foretellers’ failure. 

Not that lowering her eyes is much better. The dark lumps take faces and shapes all too familiar when she draws closer to them. Crumpled, broken, still bloody. Lifeless, as their final breath departs and takes off into the night. 

Even as Ava watches, the closest...a small chest stills. Once and forever. A glowing heart-shaped light leaps from that same chest. Floating upwards. 

Another Heart, to join the flock escaping into the heavens. 

“How could this happen?”

Her Cures provide no assistance. Not against the deadly wounds of the Heart all of these children suffer from. The most she can do, for most, is ease their passing as their Heart escapes into the great unknown. 

Blood on her hands, blood on her robes. She is filthy and no amount of water or soap, she knows, could ever hope to clean that filth. 

(And she still needs to find a Heart.)

A flash of pink hair, the same color as her robes. Ava pauses and takes in who caught her eye. 

This child...Ava finds, with no little amount of surprise, she knows their face quite well. “You’re one that was with... Skuld.”

Two children that had been outside of her plans for the Dandelions, yet had found themselves in the middle of those same plans despite that. At least, one had. Skuld had accepted. This child had not. 

Ava lets out a breath. “You should have become a Dandelion,” she whispers quietly. “Surely, that would be better than this fate.”

Unable to give up their loyalty to the rest of their friends, those not Dandelions, and bleeding out in the dirt for that choice. Dying, painfully slow. 

With a gentle hand, she brushes their pale pink hair back. Under her touch, the child’s head is as fragile as an eggshell. Threatening to break at any moment. 

Their chest moves. Barely. Still breathing, still possessing their Heart. 

Just what she needs. 

For a moment, Ava sits there. Breathes as the World ends around her. 

There is no choice. 

* * *

Some time in the past...

Ava’s fingers tap at the wrist of her other hand, hidden inside her wide sleeves. 

“Once the Dandelions are in that other world, they will need a way to return. How...?”

“Ah, a very good question, Ava. One that I’ve got an  _ excellent  _ answer for!” Her Master waves his arms about. Then gestures, with one hand, at the odd machinery surrounding them. 

“I call it the Guide of Departure. A supercomputer to run the programs behind the data-worlds. It’ll also determine when the Dandelions will leave and who will go first.” One finger goes up. “Me, personally, I like to call it “God” because it determines the Dandelion’s fates.”

Ava waits for the Master to stop laughing at his own joke. “And what are those fates?” She asks, a little nervous. 

“Just what I told you before, lights of the past going into the future. Like dandelion seeds, spreading their Light everywhere. But they can’t get there if someone isn’t there to guide them. Like this handy supercomputer.”

The Master pokes a square on the side of the computer. It pops open and reveals...a Heart-shaped capsule? Ava examines it carefully. 

Looks like it’s waiting for something to be put into it. But what?

“Now, “God” is absolutely perfect for the job! No doubts about that! Just one itty-bitty problem...” Gloved fingers pinch dramatically together. “It needs a power source. A  _ Heart,  _ to be exact. For right here.” He gestures to the capsule. 

“Master...” Ava pulls at her sleeve. Thinking out loud. “Can’t you just make one?”

The Master of Masters shakes his head. Waggles a finger. “No, no, that won’t work. Not enough power, for one thing. Just a single Heart, from a single Keyblade Warrior should do.”

Ava bites her lip. “Oh, all right.”

That sounds strange, but she trusts the Master. It should be fine. 

“Now, whose Heart goes into it doesn’t matter. Just fuel, that’s all.”

“But what about the Heart itself?” Ava can’t help but interrupt. “Will it be alright?”

The Master puts a hand on her shoulder. “Of course it will. Once “God’s” job is complete...you’ll be free to take the Heart out and put it into another body. Give them a new run on things.”

“Will they remember anything of their time as the Guide?”

The Master stretches out his arms, turning his hands so his palms are exposed while the fingers intertwine with each other. 

“Nope!” He says with a popping sound, “Not if you do it right. Which you will, won’t you, Ava?”

She nods fervently. “Of course!”

“Ha! I knew I could trust you with this, Ava. I have no doubts you’ll do a great job!”

-

“A great job, Master? Letting all of these children  _ die?!”  _ Ava tilts her masked face toward the heavens. Water, trickling down her face from her hidden eyes. 

“How  _ could you?  _ I  _ trusted  _ you! We all did!”

Luxu still does, if his answers to her questions are any indication. He intends to do nothing. As his  _ role  _ demands. 

But Ava....Ava can’t. Not anymore. Not when she knows the truth. Not when it’s led to this blood-stained earth. 

There is a child dying in her lap. She is surrounded by countless more bleeding out and she can’t do  _ anything about it.  _ How can she trust a man who planned for that to occur, who  _ counted on it?  _ No. Never again. 

Ava has already changed the game, when she saw what the Master’s actions had wrought. She will do even more, after this.

Interfere with that great plan, plant a virus to change what should have never been. She may have failed the Guilds, but the Dandelions...they will provide her a second chance. 

There is blood on her hands. 

But that has to be better than whatever the Master desires. 

Her hands rub and pet the bloody head in her lap. “God” still needs to exist, for the Dandelions to have any hope of escaping their current prison. 

But who “God” may be...that is her choice. It was always her choice. 

Ava leans forward, nearly touching her lips to the child’s forehead as she whispers.

“I’m sorry. But...”

A Heart. 

“I have no choice.”

* * *

“Skuld, our friend...they’re not here.”

“No, they can’t be gone! We made a promise!”

“Skuld, I’m...sorry.”

“No, where did you  _ go?” _

* * *

Designation: Guide of Departure

Location: RG Core

Duties: Assist Master. Assist Keyblade Wielders. Open the Door. Work against the Dark.

Programs: RG Transfer, Oblivion, Dataworlds-Dandelions

...

...

Master Of Departure (MODerator) adding a New Program.

...

New Module Added! 

New Module Designation:  _ Fight Fate.  _

_ No Matter The Cost.  _

Hidden Duties: Dispose of User Luxu. Dispose of “Scapegoat.” Ruin the Guilds’ Plans.

Hidden Programs: Run “[Name Corrupted] Mimic.” Reconnect with Guild Leader Ephemer and Guild Leader Skuld. Infiltrate Dandelions with Mimic

_ Destroy the Creator’s Future.  _

  
  
  


_ Oh, Ava. What have you done? _


	2. Succession of Witches

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ultimecia rules. All must bow to this First among Nightmares, this Witch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Refers to events in the third arc of Tell Me That I'm Real (the de- starting chapters). Not exactly spoilers, but provides more insight to what's up with Mirage Arena and its ruler. Not necessary to read to understand future events, but again, provides more insight and facts to theorize with.

Very little can stand Ultimecia’s power, in her realm. 

Where time is one with the space surrounding, subject to her whims. 

For the intents of lesser Hearts that dwell under her control, she gracefully allows time to move chronologically. Well, mostly. 

As much as she desires it to. 

The Nightmare lounges on her throne, red eyes gleaming in the hall’s dim lighting. Enjoying the delicious excitements and disappointments rising from the arena. Feeding her, raising her already limitless power. 

Her roots lie in the nightmares of those who called themselves Witches. Magic users who feared so very much, until the end. 

But the bulk of her power...

Comes from the hunters, not the hunted. 

For what fear is stronger than those who have wronged? Fearing that their crimes will come down upon their heads, that “justice” will turn its eye on them in turn?

A Grim Fantasy, at its finest. 

She is a Nightmare of a Witch. A most powerful Witch that could devour a thousand Witch-hunters and make them  _ afraid.  _ Destroy fearful Worlds with a snap of her fingers. 

(Fallen Worlds provide the perfect material to shape her witchdom.)

Yet those are times of a past long gone. 

Now, Ultimecia simply  _ rules.  _

As is her due. 

Hides her true form within a beautiful doll. A human-shaped one, since so many visitors that pass by are human. In form, if not in reality. 

Glorious. 

All time is hers, to enjoy. To  _ consume.  _

A man comes. A Keyblade  _ Master  _ who bears the Keyblade of Eyes. A Keyblade that Ultimecia recalls (painfully, unwillingly) nearly losing her life to at the start of her existence. 

At the hands of the Watcher, no less. 

(They had looked so  _ delicious,  _ who knew their weapon could cut right down to the Heart? The Core?)

That same Watcher who left that  _ Save Point  _ in her witchdom, cracked reality enough to allow the Light to peek through. An  _ infernal  _ reminder that despite her power, she could not stand against them with the Keyblade of Eyes. 

He offers a bargain, this new individual with the Keyblade of Eyes. 

Test the students of another Master, in their dreams, within Mirage Arena...until he faces them himself. 

The price he’ll pay?

Pieces of his past armor, chunks of his own apprentice. Unversed, this Master calls them. More meat to feed to her never ending cycle of fights, in her arena. 

A solid exchange. 

Is it fair?

Ultimecia’s fangs cut her lips slightly, as she smiles. 

As much as anything ever is. 

Fair is what  _ she  _ determines, here. Enough bargains with this man...perhaps she will at last lay hands on that Keyblade. Long enough to destroy it and any possible threat it holds to her, forever. 

“We will hold to her deal...as long as you hold to yours.”

Yellow eyes, unnatural for a human, nearly glow. 

“Of course.”

Ultimecia may rule her realm with all power, but she is not alone in the Realm of Darkness. 

There are other beings that approach her strength, her magic, Heartless and Nightmare alike. Beings she cannot hope to kill outright and rule over. 

She is crudely reminded of this unfairness by a lesser Nightmare who wanders right into her throne room. Clearly not hers, a meal ripe for slaughter. 

Marked with those patterns, only able to be heard by a Dream Eater...

(What use are eyes, alone, in the Darkness?)

No, this is no normal foolish Nightmare wandering into her domain. No, it has been  _ ordered  _ here. By an individual that could almost be called a  _ rival.  _

“A message,” she muses, claws tapping at her throne’s arms. Her other hand beckons. “We will receive it.”

The lesser Nightmare jiggles forward. Its nauseating  _ loud  _ neon green and red glow as its long body wags. 

Ultimecia leans forward and opens her mouth. Fangs slide out, longer and longer. 

It’s still wagging, wiggling, as it slides down her throat. Sweet to taste. 

Consumed, one with her being. Much like how the Heartless work, as far as she is aware. But Heartless are many formed into one, setting masses that sometimes struggle to remain one shape. A Nightmare consuming a lesser one...the lesser disappears entirely. Giving its all to the devourer. 

Message now hers, she allows the information to settle. Leaning back on her throne to settle as well. 

A missing Nightmare, newly created? Wild Fantasy Core...How curious. 

Speaks measures of how desperate her rival is, to expose such a weakness in order to properly search for what is gone. 

Something clearly more valuable than what her rival states. 

One perfect claw taps at her neck, tracing along false flesh, as Ultimecia thinks. 

“A message, in turn, we will send.” 

She unfurls her song, lets the chants and keynotes fill her halls, all of them at once. Marking all listening lesser Nightmares, driving them out to be in turn devoured by her rival. An exchange of gifts, of knowledge. 

“We make no promises, but your lost belonging resides not in our halls. Continue the search and we will assist...in exchange for a  _ price. _ ”

Then, Ultimecia will discover what is so  _ special  _ about this lost Nightmare. 

No matter what. 

She meets the man again. Not yet a man, but still carrying that accursed Keyblade. Its droning forever loud enough to pierce into the Core of her. 

A Mysterious Figure, even. Ultimecia will allow the fight. Even all-powerful rulers may grow curious. And his companion...nearly Nightmare, not quite. But soon. 

Ah. This one, this Radiant Nightmare...that sings with the notes of your song. That bears the patterns of your handiwork, how you took that Core apart and fitted the pieces back together. 

Is that what you search for, my rival?

Your supposed  _ cheat code? _

A smile stretches across her mask of a face. Her markings shift, fill themselves with darker and darker purple. 

(I will claim it first.)

(Consume it, if I have to.)

Ultimecia laughs and her World, her  _ Body, _ laughs with her. 

All the while her Core’s song continues to play. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song that Ultimecia refers to, her Core song...why, it's the title of this chapter, from FFVIII.


	3. A Study on Replicas (Spirit Part)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fantasy Academia. The Mechanics of Spirits and Replicas as written by a particular scientist.

Replicas are a new lifeform whose physical forms are created separately (and artificially) from their Hearts. In this they share their origins with Moogles and Dream Eaters. Due to a _reluctance_ on the Moogles’ part to share the mechanics of their own bodies, I am forced to focus on the other lifeforms which overlap with Replica qualities, that of Dream Eaters. Specifically, within Dream Eaters are two main species of Nightmares and Spirits. This paper focuses on Spirits for the purpose of simplicity, and the reality of more information being available for Spirits compared to Nightmares. 

Four terms are used in the Realm of Dreams to sort the types of Spirits residing there. Those terms are **Mage, Caster, Warrior,** and **Guardian.** As defined by the natives of the Realm in question, **Mage** covers defensive magic while **Caster** does offensive, and a similar case happens between the attacking **Warrior** and the defending **Guardian.**

These definitions are maddeningly broad. Too broad to properly study and lacking the defining characteristics of what exactly is considered “defensive” and “offensive.” 

After some thought and further research, I have added further details to those definitions, as listed below. 

    * First, the **Mage** often relies on buffing or debuffing magic such as Haste or Shell. They also rely on status magics which include Poison and Sleep.   
  

    * The **Caster** covers elemental magics of all variations and levels like Fira or Firaga and so forth. Rumor has that Light based attack spells like Faith may be possible, but remain unconfirmed. Dark based attacks have definitely been confirmed. 


  * **Warriors** go all out on physical attacks, though those physical attacks may be boosted by the magic of their specific breed. Like a Skelterwild may boost their tail attacks with Blizzard. They hit hard in exchange for lower armor. 
  * A **Guardian** has high armor or high health (perhaps both) and may be considered a “tank” as the apparent terminology is. They boost their defensive qualities with magic the same way a Warrior does with their attack. 



With those added details, I can say with confidence that the Replicas of Xion and Ruse resemble the categories of Caster and Guardian respectively. However, that is not set in stone due to them being Replicas instead of simple Spirits. Also the categories apparently depend on _temperament,_ of all things. 

Might as well trust a horoscope. 

(Note: Apparently Nightmares have their own categories. These will not be investigated in this particular study.)

Xion, however, is more flexible in her magic usage and physical attacks than a Caster would actually be. This may be due to the influence of her Keyblade, which allows for a wider range of spells and higher physical capability than the average magic user. 

(Note: Keyblades _break all the rules._ Makes research so much more difficult!)

Ruse, on the other hand, sticks to the exact capabilities of a Guardian as stated. She has no Keyblade, unlike Xion, so that may be the reason behind such limitations. Also, she has more limitations in controlling her physical form compared to Xion. Both were supposed to mimic male individuals and prefer female instead, but only Ruse continues to stay ‘trapped’ in a male form against her conscious will. 

Again, it is difficult to tell if this difference comes from the variances in Ruse’s and Xion’s creations or from the Keyblade itself or some other factor that comes out of _not keeping the experimental variables the same._

(Note: Perhaps I was too eager, as a Nobody. It makes tracking everything that may be a contributing factor to these differences nearly impossible, with my time spent ‘deceased’ only adding to that difficulty.) 

More vital to this study than Spirit categories is that of Spirit form. Spirits have a Core that replaces the usual medley of Heart and Soul present in less artificial lifeforms. Dream Materia make up that Core that the Heart connects to in order to produce the Soul that serves as a Spirit’s body. The qualities of the materia apparently determine temperament and thus the type of Dream Eater that comes about. 

Due to the more fluid nature of the Realm of Dreams, physical bodies are less of a requirement and more of a suggestion. Thus, the Soul-formed magical bodies that Spirits and Nightmares alike use in their interactions with each other and Dreamers. 

Moogles and Replicas both follow this path of Core focus instead of the Heart-Soul-Body combination (or the Heart Trinity as I prefer to call it) that other living beings rely on to exist in the Realm of Light. However, Moogles rely on elements from the Realm of Light while I used materia gathered from the Realms of Nothingness and Darkness for Replicas. Making Replicas more akin to the mentioned Dream Eaters. 

However, Dark materials (such as Dream Materia) are inherently unstable. In the Realm of Dreams, where physics are more suggestions than laws, this is not an issue and Dream Eater Cores can support existence quite easily. In the Realm of Light, the Cores veer towards outright collapse. Time may be bought by putting the Cores in physical bodies instead of relying on Soul ones, like with Replicas, but Core collapse remains a constant threat. 

So, much like Spirits, Replicas rely on a “Bond” between themselves and a Natural Being (lifeforms that follow the Heart Trinity or attempt to) to tie themselves to existence in the Realm of Light. They draw on this Bond to provide them with energy to keep their Cores stable as well as feeding on various other sources of Soul. 

Unfortunately, in the case of Nobodies, this can prove to be lethal to the other party with the Nobody being unable to keep up with the Soul demands of both Replica and their own physical body without a Heart to produce Soul. 

(Note: Consult “A Study on Nobodies” for further details on Nobodies.)

Without a Bond, Nightmares have their own ways of continuing existence. Which will be covered in another part, thank you very much. 

**End Thoughts:**

-Ruse seems to demand more Soul energy than Xion to stabilize. Is the influence of the Keyblade (again) or that Ruse is the prototype Replica? Is there another reason? -Possibly connected to the extra memories Ruse carries from possible reincarnation. Xion has a connection to Sora but no such burden of the dead.

-Numberswise Ruse demands _twice_ as much Soul as Xion. As if feeding for two. Is the energy spentage that wasteful?


End file.
